“Fewer than eight percent of all tries at making a baby in a lab dish will succeed,” U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

On the surface, that looks like a devastatingly small chance at becoming a parent. If you are someone whose hope is rooted in statistics and whose confidence rests on probabilities, you might be deeply discouraged. Especially if you’ve already tried IVF and failed.

Thank goodness that’s not the whole story.

Think about this…

The truth is, that for any given couple, the chances of IVF succeeding in a given cycle are either 100% or zero. Those are the only two possibilities. Either it will work for you, or it won’t. The number eight doesn’t matter. It’s not an option. It is an average across thousands of strangers’ entire IVF experiences. Nothing more.

That number doesn’t predict your future, or control it.

It. Doesn’t. Matter.

Why? Because, no matter what the outcome in a given cycle, every couple has a chance to progress on their journey toward parenthood. That’s what matters because this journey is, in some ways, as important as the destination itself.

It is preparing you to be the committed parent God intends for you to be. It is teaching you resilience, persistence, faith despite trial by fire, vital relationship skills, important self-care priorities, and so much more! God is not wasting your time. He is working on you, your relationship and your spiritual life – all while you make this journey.

Will the outcome be worth all the effort?

Yes, if you stop fighting God and start allowing Him to work in and through your story. Stop doubting His presence and start trusting His timing. Stop wondering how zero can ever lead to 100%, and realize that it very often does.

Still worried about that eight percent statistic? Consider this…

One hundred percent of the couples who’ve studied the messages of Pregnant With Hope with me have become parents — all within a year. One hundred percent of them had experienced zero success before that.

What made the difference?

Consistently, what changed was the depth of their faith in God’s control over the outcome, and their ability to find peace in the midst of uncertainty. That was the spiritual destination God intended for them to reach before they became parents.

The next time you hear a statistic that rattles you, remind yourself: God is in control 100% of the time, and that is the only statistic that really matters.